Police Shocker: Missing Madeleine McCann Might Still Be Alive

It was five years ago when the adorable 3-year-old vanished during a family vacation in Portugal — but now there’s hope that she may still be alive and police have re-opened the investigation!

Madeleine McCann could be in fact be alive, UK police said on April 25. The London Metropolitan Police decided to re-open the case and are currently investigating the disappearance of the little girl who went missing from a condo at a resort in Portugal, in May 2007.

A new image has been released by the police of what Madeleine would look like today as a 9-year-old. Her family cooperated with the authorities, CBS News reports.

More than 30 police officers have been assigned to the case, Detective Chief Inspector Andy Redwood said in a press conference. So far 40,000 pieces of evidence have been gathered for the team to investigate — 195 possible leads have been followed up, he added.

He explained that police are considering Madeleine alive despite the fact that she may be dead.

“We would like the case to be reopened; our case is clear,” he told reporters. “I should stress quite clearly that the decision is in Portugal.”

The forensic evidence from her disappearance shows that she could have been kidnapped by criminals, yet there are no definite indications of what really happened to Madeleine. The case has cost $3.2 million, so far police said.

Her parents Kate McCann and Gery McCann have upheld a campaign to keep the public aware of the case — they even published a book and went on the Oprah Winfrey Show to share their story.